IT IS A BRAND PEOPLE TRUST AND ACCEPT . IT HAS PERMISSION ALREADY FROM CUSTOMERS VERSUS TRYING TO PROVE IT .
SALES & MARKETING
Lobby at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel following a US $ 7.5 million revamp , the hotel ' s first since 2005 the first hotel chain to invest in a toll-free number for direct guest access .
In 1997 , Starwood Lodging Trust purchased the company for US $ 14.3 billion after a bidding war with Hilton – a move that at the time made Starwood the world ’ s biggest hotelier .
Though Starwood launched its own rebranding plan , Sheraton 2020 , back in 2015 , Adenaw says Marriott has plans of its own .
“ It is a brand people trust and accept . It has permission already from customers versus trying to prove it ,” Adenaw says . “ When you think of hospitality brands , there are actually very , very few that have that globally .”
In the quest for the new and improved Sheraton , no facet of the brand is going unscrutinized . In speaking with owners , Adenaw ’ s team received feedback that the current guest room was difficult to execute , which has led to plans for a more open room concept that ’ s operationally sound and financially easier to deploy . The lobby will be shifted to some version of a publicoriented , monetizable space . There ’ s no word at this point as to whether Sheraton Club will stay or go ; ditto Sheraton Grand , a marker of premier-tier hotels .
“ They ’ ve got to get on with it . Because
that ’ s the only way they ’ re going to get developers to buy into the product ,” says Peter Bates , president of Tarrytown , New York-based Strategic Vision , a global marketing communications consultancy with a specialty in luxury hospitality .
“ Over the years , Starwood did an amazing job of building that brand on a global basis , but life has moved on and the brand has not kept up with the changing pace of life ,” Bates says . “ In terms of the product , it ’ s been allowed to get tired in many places .” According to Bates , Sheraton should widen its target from corporate customers and find its place in the leisure market as well .
One property that went through a recent refresh is Oregon ’ s 215-room Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel , which just spent US $ 7.5 million on its first revamp since 2005 .
And it ’ s a refresh that Marriott is happy with , according to the property ’ s sales and marketing director , Angie Darby .
Out went the lobby ’ s big potted plant and in came more seating . Guest rooms saw the addition of more outlets and the transformation of the desk into a moveable table . An old spa area was repurposed into “ Meetings in a Minute ,” three small rooms that the property rents for US $ 50 per hour . Projected ROI is 7 % to 8 % each year .
Adenaw , who declined to talk ROI , says says it ’ s too early to tell whether the company will meet its projected 2021 deadline to roll out the new Sheraton . With 77 properties in its pipeline , with the large majority of those planned for Asia where the brand performs strongly , Sheraton is on its way toward significant expansion : Now it needs a new story to back that move .
“ The appeal of Sheraton is that it ’ s broad , it ’ s open , it feels good ,” Adenaw says . “ In everything we ’ re trying to do we ’ re asking : can we bring simplicity and a sense of purposefulness in what we deliver to guests and what we ask our operators to do ?”
IT IS A BRAND PEOPLE TRUST AND ACCEPT . IT HAS PERMISSION ALREADY FROM CUSTOMERS VERSUS TRYING TO PROVE IT .
— INDY ADENAW , SHERATON VICE PRESIDENT AND GLOBAL BRAND LEADER
52 hotelsmag . com March 2018